American Heritage

Description of publication

As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, "The years teach much which the days never know."Feeling the need for a business historical perspective in this textbook, I wanted to include a magazine called Audacity, but it has, unfortunately, been discontinued. The mission of Audacity was to make connections between yesterday and today, and thereby help business and government leaders move more confidently and knowledgeably into tomorrow.

Its parent, the venerable American Heritage, is still with us (since 1954) and a source of considerable value and interest for business historians. It is approximately 115 pages, replete with interesting stories and anecdotes from America's past, with great black-and-white pictures and only a few ads. There are usually four or five substantial articles averaging 25 or so pages each, which makes the journal quite useful for reference research. One special section in each edition, called "The Business of America," gives small vignettes (two to three pages) into the chronicles of America's business past; for example, "The Atlantic Stakes," by John Steele Gordon (The most glamorous business of the industrial era almost always lost money. But nobody paid a steeper price than Edward Knight Collins).

American Heritage is formatted well, a pleasure to read, and informative. For those who put stock in a liberal arts education and employ the tools of business, American Heritage is an excellent choice. Another product from the same publisher is American Heritage of Invention & Technology (ISSN 8756-7296) and has as its founding sponsor General Motors. The history of technological innovation offers valuable lessons about the nature of progress and the roots of problems facing America.

One more source that should not be overlooked is Great Events from History II: Business and Commerce Series (ISBN 0-89356-813-9) from the Magill family of reference books. The current five volumes of Great Events address the major developments in the worldwide evolution of business and commerce in the 20th century. The history of business and commerce provides a unique perspective on history as a whole, showing how economic life progressed and describing the forces that shaped it. The articles in Great Events from History II: Business and Commerce are arranged chronologically by date of event, beginning in 1897 with the first publication of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and ending in 1994 with the effective date of the North American Free Trade Agreement. A broad range of topics is addressed. Business is defined broadly to include any activity concerned with the production of goods or with the rendering of financial or other services. Commerce involves the exchange of commodities or services.

Significant 20th century events in the evolution of all these aspects of business and commerce are described in 374 articles, arranged chronologically in five volumes. The articles run a little long, to approximately 2,500 words. Each article begins with ready-reference matter listing the category of the event discussed, from advertising to transportation; a brief summary of the event's significance in the history of business and commerce; and descriptions of principal personages who were key players in the event. The text of each article follows and is divided into two subsections: "Summary of Event" describes the event itself and the circumstances leading up to it, and "Impact of Event" analyzes the influence of the event on the evolution of business practice and/or a major industry in both the short and long terms. There follows a select bibliography, which lists publications to consult for further information, accompanied by annotations indicating the focus and usefulness of each source, chosen for relevance to the topic in question and accessibility through most libraries.

www.americanheritage.com
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American Heritage

Monthly (and bimonthly) publication
ISSN 0002-8738
For more information, call
Forbes and American Heritage
Phone: (800) 888-9896
Fax: (212) 620-2200